Observations and comments on the diatom Stephanodiscus minutulus (Kützing) Cleve & Möller (Bacillariophyceae) found for the first time in Chile from bottom sediments collected in Lake Laja

Abstract

This study reports the presence of the diatom Stephanodiscus minutulus (Kützing) Cleve & Möller for the first time in Chilean continental waters; it is a taxon reported in many aquatic systems in Europe and North America and there are only scanty records from South America (Argentina). The species was found in a sedimentary profile collected from Lake Laja (Andes Mountains), Central Chile. The principal morphological features of S. minutulus are described, and comments about its relationship with other closely related taxa are given.